The Divine Performing Arts, a dance company that's spearheading a renaissance of China's traditional culture and values, just finished a run of its Chinese New Year Spectacular at Toronto's Sony Centre on Sunday.
Businessman Jim Conrad, who attended the Sunday night performance with his wife, Nancy, said he learned a lot from the show, which has become known for its grand-scale dance routines, combination of Chinese and western music and unique state-of-the art digital backdrops.
"I love learning more about the Chinese culture – it goes back 5000 years. We're Christians, but we're taught to respect other beliefs, such as Confucianism and Buddhism, and there's a lot of commonality – forbearance, forgiveness, and freedom.
"The word 'freedom' came up a couple of times tonight. That's a word I personally love," said Conrad.
Conrad said he keeps up with news from China and is aware of the human rights situation under the communist regime.
"It's a fascinating story of what's going on in China. It's the most dramatic story in the world right now. You know, and I'm not trying to be silly – obviously the threat of terrorists is very real, and in Toronto too, and lots of other things are going on – but the issue is whether China will become free. That's the issue."
Beyond aesthetic beauty, themes that run through many of the Spectacular's dance and musical pieces include courage, loyalty, honesty, filial piety, compassion, faith, and the search for spiritual truth.
In bringing to life the myths and legends of ancient China, along with stories from contemporary times, the creators of the Spectacular are skilled and creative in the use of state-of-the art technology. One example is the dramatic dynamic scenery and multilingual lyrics projected on the background screen.
After Toronto, the Spectacular will continue on its world tour, playing in the U.S., Japan, Korea, Paris, Singapore and Australia before heading to Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton in the spring.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts shows that will perform in over 60 cities worldwide in 2008. To find a show near you, please visit www.bestchineseshows.com.
Feeds